Girls will rely on team speed
The Craig County girls will have a home game to open the season this Friday. The girls will play host to Eastern Montgomery in a non-district game.
Christine Surface will be a guard for the Rocket girls. - Photo by Brian Hoffman
Craig coach Donald Eggleston returns to the sideline for his second year with the Rockets. He’ll be assisted by former Lord Botetourt and Francis Marion standout Renee Guilliams, and Mark McPherson returns to coach the junior varsity.
The Rockets will be a little short on size but quick afoot this year, as Eggleston plans to go with a four-guard lineup. Tonya Gardner will start at the point and guards Christine Surface, Shayla Mayo, and Caitlin Bellassai are also slated to start. Surface and Mayo are juniors while Bellassai and Gardner are just sophomores.
Two girls will share time in the post. Senior Brittany Frazier and sophomore Jordan Persinger both have the size to be a factor on the boards, and they’ll be counted on to be a presence around the basket. They were battling for the starting nod this week, but both will play a lot regardless of who starts.
Backup guards include sophomore Jessica Stebar and freshman Jordan Frango, and senior Haley Gillespie rounds out the roster. Everyone across the board is going to have to pick up the pace as Craig graduated last year’s two top scorers, Sierra Rock and Olivia LaPrad, as well as speedy point guard Chelsea Hutchinson.
“We return an average of 13 points from last year’s team,” said Eggleston. “We’re going to have to find some scoring, but we have the girls who can do it.”
Craig scrimmaged Group AA Alleghany last week. The Rockets hung right with the Mountaineers when the first group was in the game. The Rockets had another scrimmage with Montcalm this week before Friday’s season opener with East Mont in New Castle.
Next week the Rockets have a home game against Pathway Christian on Tuesday, and that’s a doubleheader with the boys. The girls will play at 6 pm with the boys to follow.
